Coming to a new school, especially as a freshman, can be hard. Freshmen are the newbies, the rookies, and switching from middle school to high school can be hard to adapt for some.

In high school, students are expected to work at a higher level of effort, because in the long run, all of the work done in high school counts. Transitioning into high school is like taking the training wheels off of a bike. Freshmen are often told to adapt quickly and become independent, or else they’ll struggle and fall off track.

Freshman Olivia Towns said, “In middle school, the teachers controlled what you did, and just looked out for you more, but in high school, you are kind of just expected to do that stuff on your own.” 

In high school, everything is different, from athletics to tests, and even friend groups. For example, competing in track and field is not just for fun. One hundred-plus athletes are competing against each other, and many of those athletes are working toward a scholarship to college.

Freshmen Kiya Downs said, “Sports are much different in high school are different because it is way more competitive because you can compete against huge high schools.”

Although being an athlete in high school is extremely competitive, it can also be very fun. Because high school sports are different from middle school, athletes can choose what event they want to do or what they want to be in that certain sport. Athletes can be more independent and decide what they want to do.

Schoolwork and homework are also extremely different in high school. Students are strongly expected to be focused on what the teacher is teaching. The material taught, will often appear on tests, or the end of the semester finals. The homework is also very different in high school. Students are expected to put a high level of effort into assignments. In elementary or middle school, homework takes around sixty to ninety minutes of homework, according to The Classroom. But in high school, that usually increases by a lot.

Freshmen Aliye Salazar-Noble said, “I think that the classwork and homework are much harder, but we get more resources, which makes it easier.”

Tests are also different in high school. They are a big part of student’s grades and doing good on tests is pretty essential. Tests in high school are usually also longer and contain more information. In high school, there may be more questions asked on the tests or short answer questions to fill out. There are grading systems called weights, which means usually tests in a class may have more of an impact on your grade than, for example, homework or classwork.

Freshmen Sarah McDowell said, “Homework is probably the hardest thing in high school, because teachers expect you to try harder, and there is a different level of effort that you have to put into your work.”

“Get a planner and write down everything, It helped me keep track of everything I had school and nonschool activities,” advised Sophomore Natalie Thompson 

Sophomore Andres Ramirez gave a tip to freshmen and said, “I would write [assignment] down on my phone in the notes, and it helped me stay on task.” 

Freshman transitioning to high school can be very different than transitioning from elementary to middle school.

However, students who are struggling have resources. Visit the KMAC in the library or the Kadet Center in room 401 to get help.